1. Field of the Invention
The present application relates to a method for preserving hard-shelled crabs by freezing.
2. Background of the Invention
Crab is the popular name for any decapod crustacean of the suborder Brachyura. A crab's body is covered with a hard shell or carapace. During a crab's life, it periodically casts both its shell and skin and grows a completely new integument by a molting process.
The larger-sized variety of crabs are often used for food, the most common food crab of the U.S. being the blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, which is found on both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. The expressions hard-shelled crabs and soft-shelled crabs are commonly employed, but do not apply to a particular species. Rather, these expressions refer to a specific portion of a crab's life cycle. For example, blue crabs are called soft-shelled when they have recently molted and hard-shelled when the shell is fully formed.
In the past, it was believed impossible to freeze hard-shelled crabs. Previous attempts to freeze hard-shelled crabs have been unsuccessful for a number of reasons. First, crab meat begins to deteriorate or decompose almost immediately upon the death of the crab. By contrast, lobster, which also has a shell but which is not as susceptible to deterioration as the hard-shelled crab, can be successfully frozen. Second, the hard-shelled crab has a rather thick shell which acts as an insulator and which, therefore, increases the time necessary for freezing the crab. Consequently, prior attempts to freeze hard-shelled crabs have resulted in crab meat having an undesirable taste and texture.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a method by which live hard-shelled crabs can be preserved by freezing and when later steamed are comparable in taste and texture to live steamed crabs.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method of preserving hard-shelled crabs by freezing which permits these crabs to be stored for extended periods of time and yet retain the characteristics of fresh crabs.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the undergoing specification and claims.